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World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has handed Roger Federer another loss - but this time through fans on social media.
In a riveting poll conducted conducted by Eurosport to find out the 'Greatest Men's Champion Ever', Djokovic beat Federer by a thumping margin in the final. The 17-time Grand Slam champion collected a whopping 98% of the roughly 900,290 votes that were cast, leaving nobody in any doubt who the fans think is the better player among the two.
Roger Federer, who has been recently been in the headlines for becoming the highest-paid athlete in the world, was no match for his Serbian rival in the social media poll. Before crushing Federer in the final, Novak Djokovic also easily surpassed Rod Laver and Pete Sampras in the quarters and semis respectively to firmly establish his status as the greatest - at least in the eyes of the fans.
The rivalry between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic has always been intense, with their latest meeting coming in the semi-finals of the 2020 Australian Open. The Serb won that match in straight sets, before eventually going on to win the final and bag his 17th Major trophy.
While Roger Federer still holds the top spot in the Slam leaderboard with his 20 titles, Novak Djokovic is slowly but surely encroaching on the Swiss' territory. The World No. 1 player already leads their head-to-head at 27-23, and in their last six meetings Djokovic has emerged as the winner on five occasions.
Novak Djokovic and his indomitable spirit
The GOAT debate might rage on forever, but Novak Djokovic's grit and resilience have convinced most fans that he is truly a special champion. Time and again Djokovic has been pushed to the brink of defeat, but time and again he has astoundingly bounced back; the Serb has made it a habit of turning around seemingly lost matches.
And that is what sets Novak Djokovic apart from his peers - his nerves of steel almost never betray him. Think back to the classic 2019 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, where the Swiss had two championship points on serve, his 21st Grand Slam beckoning him. But Djokovic, who wasn't at his best, simply banked on his nerves and his mental stability to completely turn the match around.
Before most fans knew what was happening, Novak Djokovic was lifting the golden trophy aloft, relishing a win that most would have thought was impossible just a few moments earlier.
Playing on the lawns of Wimbledon - the old stomping ground of Roger Federer - the Serb barely had any crowd support that day. But the 'great champion' that he is, Djokovic figured out a way to keep himself motivated and in the match.
“At times you just try to ignore it, which is quite hard,’ Djokovic confessed. ‘I like to transmutate it in a way: When the crowd is chanting ‘Roger’ I hear ‘Novak’. It sounds silly, but it is like that. I try to convince myself that it’s like that."
Perhaps it is that mentality that convinced the fans to almost unanimously pick him as the 'greatest'.
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